2024 guard Morgan Cheli commits to UConn women’s basketball

UConn women’s basketball added its second player to the class of 2024 with a commitment from guard Morgan Cheli. The Los Altos, California native plays at Archbishop Mitty High School and is the No. 18 player in the class according to ESPN. She chose the Huskies over more than 40 Division I offers, including South Carolina.

Listed at 6-foot-2, Cheli fits the big guard mold that the Huskies often look for — think Caroline Ducharme and Katie Lou Samuelson. She plays point guard for her high school team, but can also get inside or flex out as a wing when needed.

“Morgan Cheli drives that team,” Salesian-Richmond coach Stephen Pezzola told SBLive after falling to Mitty in the state tournament. “She gets everyone in a position to succeed... Cheli makes the team run.”

Cheli plays for legendary coach Sue Phillips at Archbishop Mitty — the same high school Stanford’s Haley Jones and WNBA All-Star Danielle Robinson attended. Phillips is one of the top high school coaches in the nation, owning a 789-128 all-time record with six California state titles.

This past season, Cheli missed time with a foot injury but returned to help lead her team to a third straight Northern California Open Division. Mitty advanced to its first Open Division state championship game but the team fell short of its first title in heartbreaking fashion, losing on a buzzer-beater.

Last summer, Cheli helped the Team USA win the U17 World Cup, where she averaged 6.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and a team-high 3.0 steals.

Geno Auriemma flew out to California for one day over the summer to see Cheli play, according to Sport Stars Magazine, then other members of UConn’s coaching staff visited Mitty in September. She took an unofficial visit to see the Huskies take on South Carolina at the XL Center in February.

Cheli is UConn’s second 2024 commit, joining fellow guard Allie Ziebell, the No. 5 player in the class.